ON LEAVE: MP Ros Bates has gone on holiday after being embroiled in the Michael Caltabiano scandal. Picture: Luke Marsden Source: The Australian

THE Newman Government has today produced a medical certificate for Arts Minister Ros Bates to explain her sudden leave from parliament, on the eve of a sitting week.

Although her office told The Courier-Mail yesterday Ms Bates was taking annual leave for two weeks, Treasurer Tim Nicholls today said she was taking time off on the advice of her surgeon.

"All I can say to you, on the basis of the request that has been received by the Premier's office, and supported by the medical certificate, is it's leave because she's unable to work because of the procedure she underwent some time ago," Mr Nicholls said, in reference to shoulder surgery Ms Bates had in early September.

"I think it's a confluence of events. Ms Bates has been on light duties for some time. "

The Minister had been expected to face extensive questioning from the Opposition in next week's parliamentary sittings, about her involvement with Transport and Main Roads' Director-General Michael Caltabiano.

Mr Caltabiano faces the prospect of criminal charges after Parliament's ethics committee was asked to probe whether he had misled budget estimates hearings over his previous employment with lobbyist firm Entree Vous, previously run by Ms Bates and her son.

Mr Caltabiano had insisted he had no "professional working knowledge or experience" of Mr Gommers.

• Ethics committee member Peter Wellington has questioned why the Caltabiano probe had not automatically been referred to the Crime and Misconduct Commission.

A spokesman for Ms Bates told The Courier-Mail the Minister had been off sick for several days and was now on annual leave until November 12.

Mr Newman issued an "extraordinary notice" in the Queensland Government Gazette late yesterday notifying that Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek would act in Ms Bates' role until she returns.

In other developments in the widening scandal surrounding Mr Caltabiano, it emerged the company at the centre of the controversy, Entree Vous, is the registered owner of Ms Bates' domain name www.rosbates .com.au, which she promotes on the parliamentary website.

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said Entree Vous' listing as the registered owner of www.rosbates.com.au appeared to be unprecedented.

Other LNP MPs have websites registered to software developers or to the political party.

Ms Palaszczuk also questioned Ms Bates' decision to take annual leave at short notice on the "eve of a Parliament sitting".

"We had a series of questions we intended to ask Minister Bates during Parliament next week," she said.

"The Premier should step in and compel Minister Bates to attend next week's Parliament sitting to answer questions."

Ms Palaszczuk said today: "If she cannot answer questions, if she cannot carry out the tasks of a minister, the Premier should sack her or she should resign."

He will continue to pocket his salary of an estimated $10,000 a week until the matter is finalised - which could take until February or March.

The Government is also having to pay extra for Translink CEO Neil Scales to act in the DG's role, which carries a $479,000 base salary, and for Matt Longland to step into the job of Translink chief executive.

Yesterday Mr Wellington questioned why the matter had not been referred to the Crime and Misconduct Commission.

He said never before had a public servant been referred to the Ethics Committee, which was mainly concerned with the ethical behaviour of Members of Parliament.

"One of the CMC's core roles is promoting public sector integrity and making sure public servants do what they're supposed to do," he said.

"Our committee will investigate this referral from the Speaker and make a recommendation to the Parliament, but the political realities are the Parliament can completely ignore or disregard the recommendations the committee makes."

Already the Newman Government has rejected the recommendations of its Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee on the issue of moving the Labour Day holiday from May to October.

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